F8F-2 Bearcat "Rare Bear" Reno 2013
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- čas přidán 14. 04. 2014
- A few flights of the Bear during the 50th anniversary of the National Championship Air Races held in Reno, NV. The first segment is of the Bear's late afternoon test hop before her turn on the course during the qualifying session the next day.
- Auta a dopravní prostředky
Rear Bear has special importance to me. My best friend from childhood, Lyle, picked most of the plane ( crashed) up, on a trailer and drove to my home where it sat for a week. The plane was rebuilt by a wonderful group of mostly volunteers, to eventually become Rare Bear, and speed record holder ! Lyle
passed away at age 77….the number Rare Bear carried.
Reno is at ground level, but WW2 fighters like the Bearcat were designed to fly their fastest at about 30,000 feet, for dogfighting and to escort bombers. So what top speed would Rare Bear be able to reach at 30,000 feet, a/ if no adjustments were made to its current engine and b/ if it were adjusted to give its best at 30,000 feet?
Every enthusiast needs to witness this bird fly in person. The sound will send chills up and down your spine, the giant motor combined with the unique sound of propellor tips breaking the sound barrier, it's an experience you'll never forget. Make the trip! Hopefully Mr Bear will fly at the next Reno race.
Propeller tips do not break the sound barrier on props or helicopters. There was only one plane that occurred on. It was the F-84 Thunderstreak, it had a counter rotating turboprop it was one of the loudest planes. Called it the thunder screech.
@@davidefland1985 100% bullshit. Every T6 racer spins it's prop fast enough that the tips go SS. F1 racers do the same. Some if the sports and even some unlimited racer do this.
@@BobFeiring l work on Navy aircraft l know
@@davidefland1985 I am the leading mechanic at Viking Air, I have done extensive work on radials, especially the Wasp Junior Radial, I can assure you that on take off, the prop tips on the beaver are spinning faster than the speed of sound. Trust me I know.
@@davidefland1985 apparently you dont know because you are 100% wrong on this... lots of planes that have prop tips break the sound barrier...
Congratulations........ Best Reno videos I have seen. No rock music, no commentary, just airplane sounds and damn good camera work. Great quality. Thanks!
19sloper ii
19sl
My dad worked on this plane when I was a boy. I got to see it in the hanger at Compton airport several times and sit in it once. I remember my dad talking with Lyle Shelton and hearing some of the stories about this plane. My dad lived his whole life around planes and called the Rare Bears hanger his home, literally. He passed his love of aircraft down to me and my brother’s.
Great man!
hahah, the Bearcat is honestly more prop than it is plane. What a spectacular beast!
DossKat, probably how it goes over 400mph. I was thinking they put a turbo in it.
it’s an engine that has wings
It looked a lot different when they got it for sure. Kinda looks like a cartoon plane now.
The big R-3350's sound is simply astonishing!
Should be a R2800.
There's No Replacement for Displacement which is why they went with the B-29 engine.
Thought it was powered by a 28 cylinder 4360
@@gruntabro1 it is
Why astonishing?
I was lucky enough to be there. It was one of the last races that most of the big name Unlimiteds attended before they were retired, restored to stock or fell to calamity. It was awesome!
With all the time passed it really seemed like that was the last of the great radial vs Mustang races. Sad I missed the voodoo Strega years of the late 2010s
That paint job makes her look 60 years younger!!
I love it! 😍
Thank you. No jockrock BS. Just pure, real sound.
What a spectacular bit of paintwork on this bird. I recall being on the pylons with press passes as a teenager while watching the warbirds whip by. Rare Bear and of course, the Sea furys were my favorite
Great video - just the real goods in steady high def and great sound - no music, no bad zooms, no jiggles - perfect - do some more!
That sputtering sound is so satisfying
This probably the best sounding THING ever
Thats how you do a video with the Bear......no gd music Awesome camera and sound sir.
I just love Rare Bear. I've been going to the Reno races on and off for a log time and have always enjoyed looking at the beautiful bird. Best of luck to the crew.
I am happy to see the 'Bear' is alive and well? I am ancient history, was on the 1985 effort. We did the flap 'removal' and other things, lots and lots of memories and pictures. Great time, first shot for 'John Penny', etc., etc. Never forget it!
I was watching this bird when Lyle Shelton ( If I spelled the name right) Was the pilot. Love the sound. Distinctive.
That idle is to die for!!! crank up the volume :-)
no it is not to die for! STFU!
I never get tired of hearing the roar of that Double wasp engine. Its awesome.
Wright Duplex Cyclone in place of the Double Wasp. Twice the power...when not cranky :-P
Michael Hux Wright R3350 from a Skyraider.
The Bearcat was always one of my favorite aircraft after seeing this bird perform at air shows!
Beautiful video indeed - thank you for sharing this with us.
what a piece of history...growing up in socal and flying in and out of VanNuys airport..i used to walk by Rare Bear sitting at a tie down near the cessna FBO....the airframe wasn't modified like it is now..had the original engine in it..painted white with the bear on the vertical stab
that start-up though
It’s a rebuilt F8 Bearcat with the engine from an A1 Skyraider.
I have been most fortunate to see the Bear race in years,past. Great historic air racer of its time.
Wow! Beautifully done, Jason! As always!
I absolutely love these planes to start with and this particular one is OUTSTANDING! tremendous job building this one. Hats off to you! Well done 👏
My Great Uncle is John Penney, never got to see him too much, but always kept track of what he was doing on the Bear in Reno, unfortunately the chance to go to the Races in Reno never were in the cards, but always had admiration for his love for the skies. I took to the love of things on rails
Looks like a prop from an Osprey! That thing is massive! Love the video.
It's from a P3 Orion, (Sub killer), a 4 engine turbo prop.
Now this is the "Sound of Music", great video, without any crappy, porn, background music to ruin it. Thanks for posting this, Rare Bear, RULES!.
Holy crap I didn’t know this didn’t have flaps. Of everything about the plane that honestly seems the most incredible. It really sacrifices all for speed
This also helps with attitude when landing, keeping the prop clear of the ground.
And another awesome portrait of an Reno-Racer. Keep up the good work !
Great Hi-Def-Video of my favorite Prop-Driven Racer and keep up the Great Work. I changed from being a Mustang-Fan,to a Bearcat-Fan when I saw Bill Fornof 's Copper-Colored-F8F-2 Bearcat perform for the Navy-Relief-Fund, while I was in the Navy years ago.
Beautiful plane. May it fly forever!
I just noticed, the tailwheel retracts, too!
If I squint, it reminds me a bit of the T-28 I flew in the Navy - that wonderful radial sound.
Thanx for yet another great and perfectly done video...
Cripes, that 1st lap wuz QUICK!
cheers
What a wonderful sound, beast.
That sound!!!!
Lovely bearcat video,my favorite Grumman aircraft ,must go to reno oneday ☺
Pure engine sound and stuff thats happening at the time of the flight.... just how it should be!!! Thanks for leaving it raw!! Also who the hell in the right mind would thumbs down this video???? It makes no sense.... because the video is awesome!!!!
I know very little about aero engines, but the staccato exhaust sound at idle on this machine tells me that I like it! I have been employed for over 25 years in the automobile/motorcycle industry, and am fairly caught up in the performance end of things. So, to hear that plane's engine is very enjoyable to me!
What a magnificent airplane, gosh darn she’s beautiful
I went to the Reno Air Races back in 1988 and Rare Bear was one of my faves! We had Pit Passes so we got up close to all of the aircraft.
Roll over Beethoven,tell Tchaikovsky the news,there's a better song going 'round,and it's played by a r-3350,conducted by Stewart Dawson.Sweet,sweet music.Keep it coming Voodoo-1650.Well done sir.
staccatoPOP - absolutely the most fitting comment for the most thrilling video of the ultimate air racing hot rod!
Le Rear Bear! Mon préféré même avec ces nouvelles couleurs et son moteur surpuissant il est de plus en plus magnifique! Merci pour cette vidéo
Anyone who is learning to fly watching this should take note of the rudder during take-off, and immediately after the wheels leave the ground.
I wanna see more rare bear. that thing's as sweet as it gets. I want it!
GREAT !!! Thanks for sharing !
Cool footage, thanks! I like how you can see the alternating cylinders firing at 5:45
And you can clearly hear it too with a "prrr prrr prrr prrr prrr" sound
It is a beautiful airplane. I saw it at Reno when it had the P3 orion propeller and the sound it made as it flew by was chilling!
ctbram0627 It definitely sounded amazing with that prop on her, here's a video of her I posted awhile back, enjoy!! czcams.com/video/ljUgK3RdEpo/video.html
Love the Rare Bear!
I've never had the honor of working a radial before. My father sure did. 22 years Navy. Ww2. I remember him talking of triple compounding the Pratt and Whitney 9 cylinders.
Such a cool looking aircraft.
Once Upon a Time, an engine was born with a plane stuck at it. What a brutal sound!
The sexiest unlimited racer of all time, bar none.
I had the honor to be Lyle’s copilot many times, at TWA, on the MD-80. He was a great stick, but I had to help him on which buttons and knobs to use🤪. The MCP mode control panel was complex.
He was such a great race pilot! He made a very difficult plane to fly around the course, look easy! He and a lot of the air racing greats are very missed. I’m fortunate to have been able see him race in person.
That Is JUST Fucking SICK Thanks A Million..! Once AGAIN YOUR Da Best..
It's YOUR Videos SPREAD OUT Throughout The YEAR, That Get US ALL Through The WAIT For NEXT YEAR..!
CAPS..LOCK
I saw the new engine once after they had just installed it. It was a machinists dream. Just a work of art. A real hot rod. This is supposed to be the baddest plane out there.
i love seeing these old warbirds being used for something cool
CZcams should have a heart icon next to the thumbs.
UNREAL the sound of the P&W .
Beautiful! The sound was always awesome. She hauled butt.. if the engine held together.
I really miss this plane. It’s not the same anymore.
OMG the sound!
A bit of historical info. JohnPenny told me he would 'actually' lose 5 pounds during the race. The 'firewall' on the 'bear' is only a sheet of aluminum, and 18 cylinders pumping out over 4000 HP generates a lot of heat! Part of the reason for wearing the Mask, along with the possibility of asphyxiation. The radios were encased with a pocket to hold ice, to keep them cool enough to keep working! Fun stuff! GO 'BEAR'!
Yes cooling drag is a problem solved by P-51. The vSpits were SUPPOSED to have a lo-drag system but did not. The later wing by Supermarine was not as sucessful as Mitchells orriginal . It had large amounts of washout to keep the ailerons lively near a stall BUT washout added drag to a really good wing as well.
What a beast!
I love Rare Bear.
God what a sound.
TheThirdMan nice sound but still not as nice as a merlin
crotchrocket00 _"nearly 200 mph faster than the original"_
Either a typo or a slight exaggeration...
+soaringtractor
Neither Bearcat or Mustang were the fastest (piston engine) WW2 planes. The Tigercat (460mph) and DO335 (475 mph) were both faster. A few later variants of the P47 were faster. The XP47J apparently hit 505 mph in 1944 (but it never reached production).
They're all great planes though.
robert allen Just ignore soaringtractor. He's a troll.
soaringtractor Same old lines Wilbur. Heard them all before. Posting irrelevant and unsubstantiated crap won't make you a pillar of wisdom no matter how hard you try. I'm going to mute the comments here so we don't have to listen to you.
The Hellcat at !:55 is love at first sight!
Andy Solis I saw that too, nice assembly of warbirds there.
My Dad flew Hellcats in the Pacific.
I saw this plane back in the mid 90s at the air races in Mesa Arizona. It smoked the field. I think it had a 3 bladed prop back then.
DAMN that Bear can sing!
At idle is sounds like my cammed ls. Fantastic!
So beautiful! Какой красивый!
You don't see many American radials with a spinner ?? This installation is super-neat , SeaFury Like , love it !!
That was the LAP speed!!!
excellent
That's a good-sounding engine!
What a beast
Sublime
WHAT a SOUND!!! 😳😳😳
As awesome as this race Bearcat is, I can say watching and hearing a stock late war P51, P47, P38, F4U, F6F or Spitfire really does for me.
Reno is at ground level, but WW2 fighters like the Bearcat were designed to fly their fastest at about 30,000 feet, for dogfighting and to escort bombers. So what top speed would Rare Bear be able to reach at 30,000 feet, a/ if no adjustments were made to its current engine and b/ if it were adjusted to give its best at 30,000 feet?
what i didn't know until we got there in 2007 is that they run NOS. holed pistons happen.
WOW.
That airplane has no wing!! I remember seeing Levitz with the conra rotating prop in a P51 fuse. and the lear wings break up, in front of the stands
473 mph wow ;-)
That is SERIOUSLY fast for a prop driven plane!!
Mustangs do 550 MPH
sounds even more awesome than the r2800!
Hey! Who strapped the wings tail and cockpit to a DC-7 engine nacelle ?
Was the wingspan altered? She looks a bit stubby....
What speed is that thing averaging on laps? That thing looks like it's hauling.
that is one bad ass hotrod
The Rare Bear should have kept that monstrous 3 bladed prop!Well, I guess Rare Bear's racing days are over! The new owner has her in a special hangar and appears to have retired the Bear! I guess this plane was so popular, and won so many Reno Golds as well as a lot of other races that is it fitting she be allowed to rest on peace! I certainly wouldn't want this plane to have an accident and crash and be gomne forever so I guess this retirement is for the good of the Sport of Air Racing.
is there room in cockpit for a camera screen for an under nose camera to assist with taxi?
Interesting to me that the new owner decided to ditch the shorter but much-wider-bladed screw from a Lockheed Elektra in favor of what =appears= to a 16' 7" Ham Stan from a B-29 or B-50. I get that they match up well with the design specs of the 3350, but wonder why he didn't go for the wide-blade, Aero Products 13' 6" off a late AD-5 / A-1E SPAD. The latter would produce a lot less potential balance problems and shove more air without inducing the sound barrier problems at the prop tips. Did the old prop cause problems? The Elektra prop gave the plane an utterly unique, "wop, wop, wop" sound as it flew past.
Thanks for posting this high quality footage. The footage and audio is primo. Just wondering where the "Bear" would reside when not racing? I guess it only flies at Reno and is hangered there? Again, many thanks from Australia
Thanks for the kudos on the video!! Rare Bear is indeed based at Reno, she's been based there for a few years now.
+Voodoo1650 Thanks for that👍
Bear cage? She is impossible
She is Beautiful but I will bet that with the reduced size of the control surfaces and the power of a full race engine, She is a Beast at low speed.
Nice 3 points landing. Textbook.
What’s the white mist coming out the back before shutdown?
Very nice Aircraft.!
That startup sound is AWESOME! I remember being there in the 90’s and again in early 2000’s. Totally enjoyed the experience!
It’s too bad that a few of the big boys retired (Strega, Voo Doo, etc) and the loss of Sherman Smoot is sad.
I hope that someone someday can build new unlimited air racers like the Mustangs and Bear Cats. That would keep the sport going forever!
Maybe someone could approach Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos or Bill Gates to see if they could inject capital into a prototype? Remember the Pond racer! He tried.
The sport class is a great alternative but the big unlimited racers are the ultimate in the sight and sound experience!
Go fast, turn left!